Friday, 10 August 2007

08' presidental candidates and the death penalty

08' presidental candidates and the death penalty

Body:

Joe Biden The Biden-authored Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 expanded the federal death penalty to cover 60 offenses, including terrorist homicides, murder of federal law enforcement officials, large-scale drug trafficking, drive-by shootings resulting in death and car jackings resulting in death. In 1996, Biden voted against limiting appeals of those facing the death penalty.

Sam Brownback Brownback opposes the death penalty except in rare, extreme cases. He has said that the Constitution does not mandate or prohibit the use of the death penalty but that "if we're trying to establish a culture of life, it's difficult to have the state sponsoring executions."

Hillary Clinton Clinton has been a longtime advocate of the death penalty. Clinton cosponsored the Innocence Protection Act of 2003 which became law in 2004 as part of the Justice for All Act. The bill provides funding for post-conviction DNA testing and establishes a DNA testing process for individuals sentenced to the death penalty under federal law. As first lady, she lobbied for President Clinton's crime bill, which expanded the list of crimes subject to the federal death penalty.

Christopher Dodd Dodd has said that capital punishment is used too widely, but there are certain circumstances where he "would not exclude the use of the death penalty." He says that he would not call for a moratorium on capital punishment. He has called for judicial reform and a closer look at the country's criminal justice system so that "we can do a better job of making decisions" about the death penalty.

John Edwards Edwards supports the death penalty, saying some crimes "deserve the ultimate penalty." He was a supporter of capital punishment reform while in the Senate and told the Associated Press in 2004 he believes that "we need reforms in the death penalty to ensure that defendants receive fair trials, with zealous and competent lawyers, and with full access to DNA testing."

Rudolph Giuliani Giuliani favors the death penalty and has advocated for capital punishment for those who commit treason against the United States. He testified in convicted terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui's death penalty trial and urged prosecutors to pursue the death penalty against American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh. Giuliani has said the death penalty is "justified and [an] effective deterrent for other people doing the same thing."

Mike Huckabee Huckabee supports the death penalty. In his book, From Hope to Higher Ground, he described the death penalty as "a tough issue." He wrote that he believes "some crimes deserve it, but that does not mean I like it." He also described carrying out the death penalty as the worst part of his job as governor of Arkansas. In a December 2005 interview on PBS that he said that he has had to "carry out the death penalty more than any governor in the history of my state" and that "it is not something I'm proud of."

Duncan Hunter A supporter of capital punishment, Hunter has opposed efforts that would make it easier for criminals on death row to appeal their sentences. He also voted against a 1994 initiative to curtail the list of crimes subject to a federal death penalty.

Dennis Kucinich Kucinich opposes the death penalty. He says, "Morally, I simply do not believe that we as human beings have the right to 'play God' and take a human life – especially since our human judgments are fallible and often wrong." Kucinich says that his position on the death penalty is "derived from my moral and spiritual convictions."

John McCain McCain supports the death penalty for federal crimes. As senator from Arizona, he voted to prohibit the use of racial statistics in death penalty appeals and ban the death penalty for minors. He also supported legislation to allow the death penalty for acts of terrorism and has said he would consider further expansion of capital punishment laws for other crimes.

Barack Obama Obama says the death penalty "does little to deter crime" but he supports it for cases in which "the community is justified in expressing the full measure of its outrage." While a state senator, Obama pushed for reform of the Illinois capital punishment system and authored a bill to mandate the videotaping of interrogations and confessions.

Bill Richardson Richardson supports the death penalty "for the most heinous of crimes" and with the "strictest of safeguards." During his 2002 gubernatorial campaign, Richardson said that before executions occur, he wants to be certain that defendants have proper legal representation and a chance to use DNA evidence. He also said he wants to be sure that "minorities are not unfairly singled out."

W. Mitt Romney Romney supports the death penalty for deadly acts of terrorism, killing sprees, murders involving torture and the killing of law enforcement authorities. As governor, he filed a bill to reinstate the death penalty in Massachusetts that required verifiable scientific evidence, such as DNA, in order to impose the death penalty. The bill also proposed measures to ensure proper representation for the indigent and allowed jurors who oppose the death penalty to participate in the guilt phase of a trial.

Fred Thompson Thompson has said that while "the use of DNA evidence to clear long-held prisoners from murder charges proves that we need to be more careful about handing out death sentences," scientific studies have shown "that the death penalty deters murders." Thompson voted for a 1996 bill to limit death penalty appeals. In a 1994 political questionnaire, Thompson indicated support for "impos[ing] the death penalty for certain federal crimes, including civil rights murders, rape and child molestation murders, death resulting from drive-by shootings or carjacking, and murder of court officers or federal witnesses."